1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to telecommunications and, more particularly, to improvements to wireless signal repeaters.
2. Description of Related Art
Many people are increasingly using portable wireless devices for telecommunications in areas, such as residences and business, where landline telephones have traditionally been readily available. In fact, it is increasingly common for people not to subscribe to any landline telephone service at home but to rely on wireless service instead.
However, meeting the needs of customers who rely primarily on wireless service presents a number of challenges. For example, wireless coverage in buildings, such as residences, is often unreliable. To overcome this problem, wireless signal repeaters may be used. An example of such a wireless signal repeater is described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/097,415, filed Mar. 14, 2002, titled “Wireless Repeater with Intelligent Signal Display,” which is incorporated herein by reference.
Such wireless signal repeaters typically include a directional “donor” antenna for wirelessly communicating with a base station of a wireless telecommunications network and a “coverage” antenna for providing a wireless coverage area inside the building. The donor and coverage antennas are connected, via respective duplexers, to forward and reverse link circuits that provide amplification. In this way, the donor antenna receives forward-direction signals from the base station, the forward link circuit amplifies the forward-direction signals, and the coverage antenna transmits the forward-direction signals to the subscriber's portable wireless communications device in the building. Similarly, the coverage antenna receives reverse-direction signals from the subscriber's portable wireless communications device, the reverse link circuit amplifies the reverse-direction signals, and the donor antenna transmits the reverse-direction signals to the base station.
Although such repeaters can provide good wireless coverage within buildings, problems remain. For example, a subscriber may not want to carry his portable wireless communications device in every room of his residence, which can be a problem for a subscriber that has only wireless service at his residence. Indeed, the subscriber will typically not be carrying his wireless device with him when it is recharging. In addition, many subscribers may find it difficult to rely on wireless service exclusively because they have other devices, such as fax machines and computers, that are not equipped for wireless communications.
Accordingly, there is a need to provide a more complete solution for subscribers who wish to rely primarily or exclusively on their wireless service for telecommunications.